Senior Cloud GIS Modernization Lead

Dewberry is seeking a Senior Geospatial Technology Manager to serve as the Cloud GIS Modernization Lead for a mission-critical geospatial technology engagement. This position is intentionally focused on the systems modernization portion of the work rather than overall contract management. The role will lead technical architecture, migration planning, cloud optimization, environment readiness, and operational documentation for the geospatial infrastructure that supports enterprise data collection, mapping, analysis, reporting, and decision-support capabilities.

The successful candidate will provide senior hands-on technical leadership for modernizing legacy GIS workflows, strengthening enterprise cloud reliability, improving data storage and lifecycle governance, and preparing scalable test and production environments for operational use. The role requires the ability to bridge GIS operations, cloud engineering, DevSecOps, cybersecurity, data governance, and stakeholder communication with client IT, geospatial, and application teams.

Dewberry is a leading, market-facing professional services firm with more than 60 locations and 2,500 professionals nationwide. What sets us apart from our competitors are our people. At Dewberry, we seek out exceptional talent and strive to deliver the highest quality of services to our clients. Whether you’re an experienced professional or a new graduate, you’ll have the chance to collaborate with the best and brightest and work on innovative and complex projects at the forefront of the industry. Our commitment to excellence stems from our personal integrity and from other defining attributes, which we call “Dewberry at Work,” that have inspired our employees to be successful for more than a half-century.

1. Modernize and Optimize Legacy GIS Workflows and Automations

• Assess current GIS workflows, applications, scheduled tasks, scripts, data-processing jobs, and automations operating on traditional compute instances, virtual machines, file shares, or other legacy infrastructure.
• Develop practical modernization roadmaps that transition appropriate workloads to containerized, serverless, or cloud-native patterns such as Docker, Kubernetes, managed container services, functions-as-a-service, or automated workflow orchestration.
• Define target-state architecture, sequencing, dependencies, risks, rollback approaches, validation procedures, security considerations, and operational acceptance criteria for each migration candidate.
• Coordinate with client IT, cloud, cybersecurity, geospatial operations, application development, and data-management teams to ensure migrated workflows preserve mission functionality, access controls, data integrity, observability, and maintainability.
• Document the migration process and produce migration plans, completion reports, testing summaries, operational validation records, lessons learned, and recommended next steps.

2. Optimize Production Storage and Geospatial Data Management

• Analyze current production storage patterns, data growth, access frequency, retention needs, cost drivers, performance constraints, and operational dependencies across enterprise geospatial repositories.
• Design and lead implementation of storage optimization approaches using object storage, managed file systems, lifecycle policies, archival tiers, deduplication concepts, metadata standards, data-retention rules, and automated “last use” criteria.
• Ensure production storage solutions support client requirements for security, integrity, accessibility, recoverability, operational continuity, and appropriate user or system access.
• Develop and maintain storage optimization plans, data management plans, implementation reports, standard operating procedures, and training materials for technical users and system administrators.
• Collaborate with application, data integration, analytics, and operations teams so storage decisions support near-real-time workflows, dashboards, geospatial analysis, field data collection, mobile workflows, and future platform growth.

3. Support Cloud-Native Development, Test, and Validation Environments

• Lead technical planning for fully functional development, test, staging, or training environments that leverage cloud-native services, automation, configuration management, and on-demand provisioning where appropriate.
• Support cloning, replication, infrastructure-as-code, or configuration synchronization approaches that maintain parity with production environments while reducing configuration drift and improving test reliability.
• Define environment inventories, provisioning/decommissioning procedures, resource documentation, validation steps, access controls, security considerations, cost controls, and operations-and-maintenance practices.
• Support software evaluation, prototype testing, integration testing, performance testing, security review, and deployment-readiness activities before production release.
• Prepare environment diagrams, deployment plans, configuration baselines, and operational documentation that can be maintained by client IT, cloud, and geospatial staff after implementation.

4. Provide Technical Leadership Within the Larger Project Team

• Serve as the senior technical lead for the modernization workstream while coordinating with the overall project manager, solution development lead, data integration lead, training/change management lead, security stakeholders, and client representatives.
• Provide cloud and GIS architecture input into requirements matrices, integration planning, security reviews, prototype testing, training content, operations planning, and production deployment decisions.
• Contribute technical content to status reports, technical briefings, risk discussions, decision materials, and client-facing documentation without owning overall project reporting for the full engagement.
• Translate complex modernization decisions into clear explanations for technical and non-technical stakeholders, including tradeoffs involving cost, reliability, security, scalability, maintainability, and operational continuity.
• Mentor project staff on DevSecOps, cloud architecture, GIS infrastructure modernization, documentation standards, testing discipline, and operational support practices.

Required Skills and Experience

• Degree in Geography, GIS, geospatial science, computer science, natural resources, or a closely related discipline
• 15+ years of professional geospatial technology experience, including senior-level technical leadership in GIS architecture, enterprise deployment, cloud-hosted geospatial platforms, or geospatial software systems
• Demonstrated experience modernizing production applications, scripts, workflows, data-processing jobs, or automations from legacy virtual machines or server-based environments to containerized, serverless, or cloud-native architectures
• Advanced AWS and/or Azure cloud architecture experience, including identity and access management, least-privilege design, account or subscription organization, networking concepts, production operations, security controls, cost management, backup/recovery, and compliance-oriented design.
• Hands-on experience with container and orchestration technologies such as Docker, Kubernetes, managed container services, container registries, and related CI/CD or deployment patterns.
• Experience with object storage, managed file systems, lifecycle management, automated data-management policies, production storage optimization, and governance approaches for large geospatial datasets.
• Experience with ArcGIS Enterprise, ArcGIS Online, enterprise GIS workflows, geodatabases, web services, dashboards, field/mobile data collection, and GIS interoperability with larger enterprise systems.
• Strong programming and data engineering skills using Python, SQL, R, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Microsoft SQL Server, APIs, OpenAPI specifications, and cloud-based scripting/automation.
• Experience designing engineering standards, DevSecOps processes, observability practices, security controls, disaster recovery practices, and documentation for production SaaS or enterprise software platforms.
• Ability to produce clear technical documentation, architecture diagrams, migration plans, implementation reports, training materials, and executive-ready summaries for federal or enterprise stakeholders.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to collaborate effectively with client IT, geospatial SMEs, cloud/security teams, field or operational users, and project leadership.
• Eligibility to support work requiring protection of proprietary, sensitive, or controlled information and comply with applicable client conduct, security, and background screening requirements.

Desired Skills and Experience

• AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate or equivalent cloud certification.
• Experience architecting and operating production-grade SaaS platforms, especially GIS, AI-enabled, or workflow-automation systems.
• Experience with Agentic AI, natural-language geoprocessing workflows, GenAI contextualization, or AI-enabled tools that make geospatial data more accessible to non-GIS users.
• Experience with SOC 2-style controls, DevSecOps standards, OpenTelemetry, cloud monitoring, application performance monitoring, API gateways, identity services, or comparable technology stacks.
• Experience supporting emergency management, public safety, logistics, infrastructure, natural resources, transportation, utilities, or other mission-critical operational environments.
• Background in remote sensing, spatial statistics, ENVI, ERDAS Imagine, QGIS, TransCAD, environmental modeling, forestry, transportation, natural resources, land use/land cover change, or field data collection.

Additional Requirements

• Must have strong verbal and written communication skills and proficiency with Microsoft Office applications.
• Must be able to participate in virtual client meetings, technical workshops, documentation reviews, and occasional operational support outside normal business hours when mission needs require.
• Must have a valid driver’s license, good driving record, and ability to pass a driving record background check if driving is required for the role.
• At this time, Dewberry will not sponsor a new applicant for work authorization.
• Only recipients of an offer of employment from Dewberry will be required to submit to background screening, which may include employment verification, educational and credential verification, driving record check, criminal background check, and an investigative consumer report.

Must have a valid driver’s license, good driving record and ability to pass a driving record background check.

*At this time, Dewberry will not sponsor a new applicant for work authorization.

*Dewberry is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, gender identity or sexual orientation.

*Prior to a final offer of employment, the selected candidate will be required to submit to a background screening which may include, but is not limited to, employment verification, educational and other credential verification, driving record check, criminal background check, and an investigative consumer report.  These screenings will be conducted by Dewberry’s background vendor of choice and will be conducted in compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local law.

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The projected range for this position is $112,000-$144,000 annually. Depending upon other factors, i.e., skills, experience, location, market conditions, the range may vary slightly.